


The Waterbender's Heart

by NedrynWrites



Series: Fire and Water [2]
Category: Dragon Quest Series, Dragon Quest XI
Genre: Alternate Universe - Avatar & Benders Setting, Avatar Hero | Luminary (Dragon Quest XI), First Kiss, Friends to Lovers, Hero | Luminary is Named Eleven | El (Dragon Quest XI), Love Confessions, M/M, Mute Hero | Luminary (Dragon Quest XI), Waterbender Camus | Erik (Dragon Quest XI)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-24
Updated: 2019-09-24
Packaged: 2020-10-27 07:31:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,492
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20756657
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NedrynWrites/pseuds/NedrynWrites
Summary: Eleven fumbled out a confession before he and Erik crashed together, but how that conversation really go?Four years after meeting a certain waterbender, Eleven has something he needs to say.





	The Waterbender's Heart

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Itshellfo](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Itshellfo/gifts).

> Content warning: Eleven is mid panic attack at the start. 
> 
> Eleven is mute and uses ASL in this, but I didn't necessarily research every phrase he says, so please forgive me if it looks a little awkward.
> 
> Rated Teen for swearing

The hands blocking the agonizing rush of sound moved away. Noise pounded Eleven’s ears, and it felt like forever before the balcony door closed, blocking off the raucous crowd. 

Erik returned to muffle the last bits of sound that seeped through, the silence so soothing Eleven wondered if he’d brought water up to heal him with. He could tell from the concern in Erik’s eyes that it had been bad, even worse than usual. 

Erik led Eleven farther from the door, Eleven still too shaky to trust his own feet. He may find himself lacking, but he’d willingly put his life in Erik’s hands time and time again. He just wished he didn’t have to test that, sometimes. 

They stopped at the railing, and Erik’s grasp fell away. The sound of Eleven’s too-fast heartbeat and breathing faded into the low hum of the city below. He was still shaking a bit. 

Erik held out his arms, a silent invitation, and Eleven practically fell into him. Fingertips traced gentle patterns on Eleven’s back, not halted by his grip being just a bit too tight. Erik was warm - unsurprising, since he was limited to water rather than his usual ice - and still a bit sticky with sweat from the match. It was soothing. Familiar. 

Eleven didn’t know how long they stood there, his panic seeping away into the embrace. Erik cradled the back of his head, pulling his face closer into his shoulder. 

At one point, when his crush was new, the touch would have burned hotter than his own flames. But his scorching crush had turned into an all-encompassing adoration, and now their casual touches were like dipping into a cool stream during the summer. 

Erik patted Eleven’s shoulders and started to pull back. Eleven managed to stop himself from clinging tighter, only just. 

< Can I talk? > Erik signed. < Or do you need quiet? > 

His movements were fumbling. He much preferred to speak, and Eleven to listen, though Eleven never told him it was because the familiarity of his voice was so comforting. 

Eleven swallowed thickly. < You can talk. > 

Erik was always so considerate. That was one of the many, many things Eleven loved about him. 

_ Love. _

Eleven felt his eyes bug out, meeting Erik’s concerned gaze. It was  _ such  _ a bad time to realize it. To realize he was so,  _ so _ in love with his best friend. It was a bad time to realize he needed to tell him,  _ now, _ before the feelings spilled over and drowned him. 

“El?” 

Eleven gulped, and raised a shaking hand. < I love you. > 

_ Ah, well, that’s one way to get it all out at once, isn’t it? _

Erik gawked, eyes tracking Eleven’s hand as he dropped it to his side. The thunderstruck expression was the last thing Eleven saw before he squeezed his eyes shut. 

“Ah… thanks. Love you too, man,” Erik mumbled. 

Eleven’s chest rose and fell as he sighed a few times. He could take this as a way out, he knew. But he’d already made it weird, and he really,  _ really _ needed Erik to understand, before he lost his nerve. 

< Romantically. > Eleven’s eyes cracked open, and he directed a look at Erik to give him no room to misunderstand. < I meant it romantically. > 

Erik didn’t look… upset, necessarily. He didn’t look like he was about to turn around and lose himself in the crowd of strangers, either, though he probably wanted to. He’d certainly done it before, when faced with emotions he wasn’t sure how to handle. 

He  _ did _ look like his world had just turned on its head, and Eleven’ couldn’t tell whether that was a good thing. 

< You’re panicking, > Eleven noted, also panicking. 

“I- I’m not-” Erik was blushing quite brightly, wasn’t he? “I’m not freaking out. I’m freaking-” 

< I’m sorry, > Eleven signed. < You don’t have to- > 

“-in, yeah, I’m freaking in, that’s… you’re right, I’m freaking out.” Running both hands through his hair, Erik spun in a quick, aimless circle. “You mean me? Like,  _ me, _ me? You lo-” he choked on the word. “I thought you had a thing for Gemma.” 

Eleven shook his head, brows drawing together. He hadn’t felt that way for Gemma in years. And the puppy love he once held for her could never compare to the sibling-like bond they had now. Gemma was his sister in all but blood. 

“Faris? I know he was fawning after you for weeks. I almost- uh, never mind.” 

Eleven blanched. Faris vanished the night after he was caught with Eleven’s stolen underwear. They found him weeks later, on the arm of a new sugar daddy, pretending he didn’t recognize any of them. 

“Veronica?” Erik snickered as Eleven’s face scrunched up again. “Oh, wait, I know you had a thing for Jackass- er, the General for a while there.” 

Eleven groaned, hiding his face in his hands. He did  _ not _ want to relive that. 

Erik laughed, fully laughed that time. “I’m sorry, I just,” he sobered up, quickly enough Eleven wished he’d bring up that night he’d gotten drunk and sighed over Dave, too, “El, you’re the Avatar. I’m just a bleedin’ criminal.” 

Eleven’s heart crawled up his throat.  _ Can we go back to the laughing? Can we postpone the bad part forever? _ He forced a wobbly smile on his face. < We both are, technically. > 

“Fishing in the park when the city won’t feed their fucking hero isn’t the same as robbing the chief of the Northern Water Tribe, and you know it.” 

Eleven swallowed, blinking back the stinging in his eyes. He didn’t think Erik would accept him, but the rejection still burned. And what was worse… 

< Erik, you don’t have to like me. But please stop treating yourself like you’re less than me. >  _ Monkey feathers, that better not have been a sniffle.  _ < You’re my best friend. > 

Erik huffed, putting his hand on his hip. “The world needs you. If I dropped dead right now, they’d be all right. But if they lost you, they couldn’t wait for another poor sod to learn to walk to fight the next baby-faced star monster. You can’t honestly say-” 

< What does the world have to do with  _ this? _ > Eleven fought to keep his lips pressed together in a thin line, knowing they’d be trembling if he didn’t. < This is about  _ us. _ And you know what?  _ I _ wouldn’t be all right. > 

Erik opened his mouth to speak, but Eleven cut his hand through the air, slamming it against his other palm. < Stop it! I wouldn’t! And if you’d use that stupid,  _ beautiful _ head of yours to  _ think _ for a minute you’d know I’m right. When that spirit got you and you couldn’t remember anything but your own name, it messed me up. When Jasper took you, I woke up with you in my arms to find out I’d  _ nearly destroyed the whole city! _ When- > 

“El,” Erik interrupted. His voice was gentle, but his gaze was intense. 

Eleven shook his head, belatedly realizing his vision had gone blurry. < I’m sorry, > he signed with a shaking hand. He started to repeat the motion, but Erik caught his fist. 

“No,  _ I’m _ sorry. I’ve always known you just want to be treated like everyone else, but I still let it stop me from- from…” 

Erik closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. He looked every bit like he was about to charge into battle. 

“From letting myself love you back.” 

The breath froze in Eleven’s lungs. He didn’t think about the fact that the tears had started to fall until Erik’s hand came up to brush them away. He cupped Eleven’s face with both hands, and tilted his head forward until their foreheads met. 

“I’m sorry,” Erik whispered. “I love you, too.” 

The words struck Eleven with more force than any hit he took in battle. Just like that, everything changed. With those four words, everything changed. Eleven covered Erik’s hands with his own, threading their fingers together. It was damp, as his tears continued to fall, but Erik didn’t pull away. Erik’s words echoed through his head. 

_ “I love you too, I love you too, I love you too.” _

Eleven didn’t know who was moving first. He only knew that one moment, they stood together, sharing in each other’s breath. And in the next, they were one. 

They came together with a crash that left Eleven’s lips stinging. They hardly bothered to back up for half a breath before they were kissing again. 

_ Erik, _ Eleven thought deliriously. It was the only thought in his head. The only thing he wanted to think about for the rest of his life, if he could help it. Erik’s hands slid along Eleven’s cheeks, dragging a path through his drying tears into his hair. 

Eleven’s own hands found Erik’s waist and pulled him impossibly closer, wanting - no,  _ needing _ \- as many points of contact as possible. 

_ Erik, as long as I draw breath, stay by my side. Please…  _

And he did. 

**Author's Note:**

> I did a series of kiss prompts, and this one got _all the way away from me._
> 
> As always, if you liked it, please drop a kudos, or a comment if you're feeling brave! Even a smiley face to let me know you enjoyed it would make me very happy!
> 
> [Tumblr](https://nedrynwrites.tumblr.com/)  
Feel free to comment/message me if you have questions! I love talking to you!


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